The Sports Stakeholders Forum has formally petitioned President Bola Tinubu, urging him to investigate the alleged misuse of funds by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The petition, submitted by Focus Legal Consult on November 11, 2024, accuses NFF executives of misappropriating millions of dollars and billions of naira meant for Nigeria’s national football teams, including the Super Eagles and Super Falcons.
In the petition, the forum claims to have concrete evidence supporting the allegations of financial mismanagement.
The forum pointed out that NFF executives have a long history of facing corruption allegations, which has led to public distrust in their financial handling.
The petitioners have raised serious concerns about the management of significant amounts of money that were released for various football tournaments.
They argue that funds meant for the participation of the Super Falcons in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the Super Eagles in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) may have been mismanaged.
According to the petition, the total sum of N20 billion was released to the NFF for these tournaments, in addition to yearly budgetary allocations. This includes N800 million for the Africa Women Championships and US$1.7 million for the Super Falcons’ 2023 Women’s World Cup participation.
The petition also details a massive N17 billion released to support the Super Eagles’ participation in AFCON and the payment of foreign coach salaries.
But the forum alleges that this money was not used effectively, raising questions about how it was disbursed.
The petitioners claim that they have evidence that funds meant for the Super Falcons’ participation in the 2023 World Cup and other tournaments were not properly managed.
They also highlighted concerns regarding the N960,000 from FIFA, meant for the Women’s World Cup, questioning the legitimacy of the reported funds and suggesting that it was a cover-up to balance the books.
In addition, the petitioners questioned the NFF’s claim of paying bonuses to the Super Falcons from the Nigerian government’s funds, even though the federation had earlier stated that FIFA would cover these payments.
“Why is the NFF claiming to have paid players’ bonuses when it was supposed to be handled by FIFA?” the forum asked in the petition.
The petition also raised concerns about discrepancies in the amounts spent on player allowances, accommodation, and feeding during the tournaments.
The forum specifically took issue with the reported expenditure of over N1.6 billion on accommodation and feeding for the AFCON tournament in 2023, demanding that the NFF provide documentation and receipts for these claims.
Another point of concern was the N696 million reportedly spent on the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which the forum described as being in stark contrast to the actual amount released by FIFA.
“Why were there discrepancies between the amount received from FIFA and the reported expenses?” the petitioners questioned.
They also requested that the NFF provide evidence of all agreements and correspondences with host countries like Mexico and Turkey, which invited Nigeria’s women’s football teams to various tournaments, including the Women’s Football Festival and other invitational tournaments.
The petitioners also called for a detailed breakdown of the funds spent on match tickets, player bonuses, and administrative costs for both the Super Falcons and Super Eagles.
The forum accused the NFF of poor financial practices, alleging that the federation failed to provide proper documentation to justify the expenditure of millions of dollars allocated to the teams.
The petitioners further demanded that the NFF clarify the exact amounts received from the Nigerian government for the 2023 AFCON and 2023 Women’s World Cup tournaments.
In the petition, the forum urged President Tinubu to call for a full investigation into the financial management of these funds, with a focus on the alleged discrepancies in the disbursement and misuse of public resources.
They emphasized that the investigation should focus on how funds were allocated for player allowances, bonuses, accommodation, and other logistical expenses for the national football teams.
The petition also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the NFF’s financial dealings and called for action to be taken against those responsible for any proven mismanagement.
“We believe that a full investigation will help to uncover the truth behind these financial discrepancies and hold accountable those responsible for misusing public funds,” the petition concluded.
As of now, there has been no official response from President Tinubu or the NFF regarding the petition or the allegations.
However, the public remains keenly interested in the outcome of this case, as it could have far-reaching consequences for the future of Nigerian football and the integrity of its governing body.
